The North Tampa Bay Chamber made a bold move by switching the venue for the 17th annual Wesley Chapel Fall Festival from The Grove to the Tampa Premium Outlets — and, despite some parking issues during the two-day event that was held Halloween weekend (Oct. 30-31), the event was definitely another big hit, attracting some pretty big crowds both days.
Instead of the usual fairway-style rides, this year’s Fall Festival, presented by Florida Penguin Productions for the first time, featured another installment of the World’s Largest Food Truck Rally, with dozens of unique food trucks (see page 46 for pictures of a few of them) offering everything from hot dogs to churros and from mac & cheese to crepes.
And yes, the event still featured the always-popular Lil’ Miss & Lil’ Mister Pumpkin Pageant.
Some folks were confused (including yours truly) because The Grove still did host a Fall Festival with amusement park-style rides and more food trucks, but I give the busy NTBC two thumbs up for this year’s Fall Festival. — Gary Nager; photos by Charmaine George
If you didn’t get to attend the Wesley Chapel Fall Festival Oct. 30-31, you missed out on the return of the World’s Largest Food Truck Rally, which, while it didn’t break the record for the most-ever food trucks in one location, the pics on this page are just a small sample of the more than 80 different food trucks that did find their way to the parking lot of the Tampa Premium Outlets on Halloween weekend.
Whether you were hoping to find Filipino Food, Hot Diggity Dogs, Alston’s Grilled Chicken, Kickin Caribbean cuisine or desserts from the Ice Cream Hearse, snow cones, frozen drinks or fried bananas, they were all on hand at the Wesley Chapel Fall Festival! — Gary Nager; all photos by Charmaine George
With everyone busier than ever, eating right is an option that sometimes just requires too much time.
So, instead of going home after work and cooking, a drive-through becomes the easier option after a long day.
Need a quick drink? Coffee or a Coke will do the trick.
Sweet tooth kicking in? There are plenty of quick, sugary options.
But today, especially here in Wesley Chapel, those aren’t your only options.In fact, it seems like more and more new places are popping up in and around our area that are focusing on giving you healthier options to quench those drivetime urges.
Here’s a look at a few of them:
Matthew Soboski and Andria Taylor say they haven’t gotten any complaints about the taste and customers love the convenience of FitLife Foods. (Photos: John C. Cotey)
FITLIFE FOODS: While Fitlife is not new — it’s been located at 1821 Bruce B Downs for six years — it does meet all the criteria as a place that offers a quick, healthy meal or snack.
In fact, you can pick up a meal to pop in the microwave at home, or even have the meals delivered to your home to save you a stop.
Fitlife takes healthy eating to a new level. Each store — there are twelve in Florida that offer pick-up or delivery — also offers one-on-one health and wellness coaching as part of its Project U.
So, if you’re looking to lose weight, have more energy or just eat healthier, Fitlife’s certified wellness coaches can customize a plan for you…for free. They will check your body composition and determine how and what you should eat to achieve your goal, whatever that may be.
You could choose to have as many meals, which are all broken down by macros and portioned out, supplied by Fitlife as you like. While there are many meal delivery companies out there, you have to prepare them yourself and determine the portion and macros yourself. Matthew Soboski, the Community Store Leader (or manager) at the Wesley Chapel location, says Fitlife does all that work for you.
He says all 60 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) are prepared in their culinary center in Plant City, and are made with only the best ingredients. There are 39 sauces and 13 special house spice blends used in preparation.
Does it taste good? With dishes like Crème Brûlée French Toast, Asparagus & Goat Cheese Torta, Butternut Coconut Curry, Jamaican Pork Tenderloin and Cuban Beef Picadillo, it certainly sounds like it.
“The don’t taste healthy,” Soboski says. “But they are.”
FitLife may not be a cheap option, but it is a healthy and convenient one, a combination difficult to find when you are strapped for time.
For more information, call (813) 365-3255 or visit EatFitlifeFoods.com. — JCC
Healthy chicken wrap
BALANCED FOODS: The new prepackaged meal supplier on the block, Balanced Foods (as we reported previously) is a six-store chain which started in Woodlands, TX, and is now open in the former La Prima Pizza location next to Super Target in the North Woods Plaza at 1211 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (just north of County Line Rd.), only about half a mile south of Fitlife Foods.
Balanced Foods offers small, medium and large portions for lunch and dinner and the store’s in-house kitchen provides these fresh, healthy, house-made entrées like roasted vegetable and tenderloin, City Grilled chicken (right) with mashed sweet potatoes and green beans and even a really delicious chicken salad snack with gluten-free crackers and celery.
Speaking of snacks, Balanced Foods also offers a large variety, including packaged items like yummy ChipMonk banana chocolate chip sunflower Keto Bites and addictive ICON Meals peanut butter vanilla Protein Popcorn.
Balanced Foods has a current promotion to get you started — spend $25 and get 20% off when you show a staff member a social media check-in.
For more information, call (813) 778-4874 or visit BalancedFoods.com. — GN
Urban Grid Nutrition owners Luis and Fiorella (Fio) Diou
URBAN GRID NUTRITION: Located at 26244 Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz, Urban Grid Nutrition owners Luis and Fiorella (Fio) Diou say their goal is to provide healthier fast food that tastes good.
Only open since March, the quaint location has a coffee house feel —though it is currently curbside pickup only — with treats that are healthier than what you can get at other places.
“We are basically like a brunch place, but with healthier alternatives,” Fio says. “Everything on our menu has protein, and it’s all very low in sugar. It’s a healthy option for people to have a treat, but still stay on track with their fitness goals.”
Fiorella says most of the sweetness in their menu items comes from the fruits and sometimes, stevia is used as an alternative. They cut back on flour and will subsitute protein powder to achieve that healthier balance.
Urban Grid’s hottest items are their donuts, which are popular with the local crossfit crowd. They are sweet enough plain, with 18 grams of protein, but you can get them topped with Oreos, Cocoa Pebbles and other sweets.
Healthier waffles are popular at Urban Grid Nutrition on Wesley Chapel Blvd.
“Instead of three Krispy Kreme donuts, which I love don’t get me wrong, if you get three of ours instead, it makes a huge difference,” says Luis.
Urban Grid offers healthy shakes, energizing teas, waffles (only 300 calories, and with 35 grams of protein), oats and açai bowls that all have less sugar, more protein and still taste like a guilty pleasure.
A Dulce de Leche and Cookies n’ Cream shake, for example, has 200 calories, 24 grams of protein and only 10 grams of sugar. And, you can pay for extra protien, fat reducer, fiber of probiotics if you choose.
A skinny coffee has 100 calories and 15 grams of protein, and there are sugar-free “Refresher” teas — with flavors like Gummy Bear, Urban Mojito and Starburst — made with green tea extract that have only 15 calories.
Luis and Fiorella live healthy lifestyles, and are committed to their fitness. And, their store caters to the athlete on a strict diet. But, Luis says, after eating right and exercising all week, “it’s nice to have a treat, and nice to have those healthier options.”
For more information, call (813) 388-9278 or visit “UrbanGrid Nutrition” on Facebook. — JCC
Refuel Energy & Nutrition’s Jemiola Smart.
REFUEL ENERGY & NUTRITION: Another non-chain newcomer to the Wesley Chapel nutritional scene, Refuel is located at 30004 County Line Rd. in Meadow Pointe (in the small plaza next to CVS) and specializes in healthier, lower-sugar beverages which can be enhanced with fiber, protein, probiotics, “new mom” boosts and more.
Co-owners Jemilla Smart and Ellie Garza are proud that their quaint little store has attracted everyone from serious athletes to post-natal moms trying to lose the baby weight.
“Our shakes, smoothies, teas and refreshers are lower in calories, carbs and sugar and are higher in protein than what you’ll find at the other smoothie shops,” Jemila (photo below) says. “Here, you can enjoy sweet treats that taste like your favorite ice cream, cakes, candy, cookies and other sweet treats, without any of the guilt!”
Smoothies at Refuel Energy are meal replacements with just 250 calories, only 13 carbs and 8 grams of sugar, with 24 grams of protein and 21 essential vitamins and nutrients.
Refuel Energy’s low-calorie teas come in more than 50 flavors — from Airheads to white peach sangria (with no alcohol) — and they all contain caffeine to jump-start your metabolism. You can even add “enhancers” to your tea or refresher, everything from collagen to protein and they can even be made with sparkling water.
“We are focused on optimum nutrition and fitness for everyone,” Jemila says. “This isn’t a diet. It’s a way to live your best life!”
For more info, call (813) 388-9122 or search “RefuelTampa” on Facebook.
The team at Esthetics 813 (l.-r.) includes Crystal Santos, Kurt Wickiser, Hannah Mazzilli, owner Kyymara Rose Scott, Tyra Richardson and Anna Mazzei. (Photo: Charmaine George)
Kyymara Rose Scott has owned Esthetics813 for seven years and, in that time, she says she has lost count of the number of clients who have entered looking or feeling frazzled who left with a little slice of peace and happiness.
Providing that transformation is exactly why Kyymara started Esthetics813, which is located at the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and County Line Rd., in front of the Super Target (a few doors down from Anytime Fitness).
Kyymara says she knows all about feeling frazzled, and the need to undo that feeling. When she was in her early thirties, life threw everything it had at her. First was a divorce, followed by a job selling insurance that she hated, followed by a cancer diagnosis.
“It was the most horrible, painful experience of my life,” she says.
In between cancer treatments, when Kyymara needed some zen, she visited a spa for soft massages — her body was too run down from cancer treatments to tolerate a traditional massage — and facials. They helped her relax and escape, if even for only a few minutes.
One day, while waiting in the lobby for her appointment, she couldn’t help but stare at the woman working there, and her big smile.
“I asked her, ‘Are you always this happy, or is this just for us?,’” Kyymara recalled. “And she told me, ‘I work at a spa, everybody is happy to come here. Why wouldn’t I be happy?’”
It was that moment that Kyymara says set her on a path that led her to open Esthetics 813, where she runs a spa that relishes wellness, renewal of your spirit and satisfying happy clients by offering a plethora of comforting and revitalizing services.
Although she had attended the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, NY, for advertising when she was younger, Kyymara reversed course and returned to the Dominican Republic, where she spent much of her youth, and attended a skin care institute for 18 months.
She then returned to the U.S. and studied Esthiology for a year at the Aveda Institute in Clearwater before opening the original Esthetics813 in the Windfair Professional Center behind Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in 2013.
As her business grew, so did the need for a larger space. In 2019, Esthetics813 moved in front of the SuperTarget.
She says that unlike other “closed cabin” type designs, Esthetics813 is loft-style, like you might find in Europe, California or even the Dominican Republic, where Kyymara used to wash hair as a teenager at a spa so she could afford to get her own hair done every Saturday.
Because a different location fell through, Kyymara says the current spa was built with “blood, sweat and tears in the 11th hour.” She says she couldn’t have done it without husband Kurt “The Duke” Wickiser.
Lourdes Alers has been coming to Esthetics813 since the original spa opened in the Windfair Professional Center. With her husband working and her kids at a friend’s house, Lourdes decided to pop in at an Open House.
“I was going to get a free swag bag and then take off, but I ended up being the first one there and the last one to leave,” she says. “I booked a facial and I haven’t looked back since. (Kyymara) works her magic and I trust her completely.”
Esthetics813, however, offers more than just facials. It offers body sculpting and wraps, microneedling, waxing and tanning, various light treatments and a variety of spa packages.
Kyymara strongly believes that visiting a spa shouldn’t only be a birthday present or an occasional treat for you; it should be a regular part of your wellness and self care. And in fact, she says the majority of her clients come in once or twice a week.
Clients are provided a robe and a glass of water or wine, and all of their personal items — especially their cell phones — are put away in a locker. The spa’s staff — Anna Mazzei, Tyra Richardson, Crystal Santos and Hanna Mazzilli — make it a personal experience by remembering what you like, right down to your drink preference.
The most popular treatments are often seasonal and, for this time of year, “everything that has to do with stripping away the old and rejuvenations are very popular,” Kyymara says. “That includes chemical peels, micro-needling and miraculously, and to my delight, body treatments.”
The Art Of Body Sculpting
Body sculpting is the most requested spa treatment, which Kyymara thinks may be a byproduct of the Covid-19 pandemic, which trapped people inside and led to many of us putting on a few extra pounds.
Body sculpting (see after-and-before photos on the next page) involves eliminating cellulite and localized fat through muscle therapy and non-invasive ultrasonic cavitation, which uses vibrations to break down fat cells, which can then be expelled via lymphatic massages.
Other popular body treatments are waxing and tanning.
“These were all very popular in the Dominican Republic,” Kyymara says. “I tried to get people to like it here but couldn’t at first. But now I’m like, ‘Yes!’”
Esthetics813 also has two nurse practitioners on staff to administer Botox and other fillers, which remain go-to treatments for many.
Another offering at Esthetics813 is Red Light Therapy (RLT; see photo above), which Kyymara says was created by NASA “so it’s actually rocket science!”
Kyymara says RLT helps cells bind themselves together again, which helps skin and muscle tissue re-tighten, helping to reduce wrinkles, cellulite and sagging.
Blue Light Treatment (BLT) oxygenates your skin, helping with acne, and Green Light Treatment (GLT) helps reduce inflammation, Kyymara says.
Kyymara thinks there are many things that differentiate her spa from others, and one she is most pleased about is that facials at Esthetics813 are oxygen-centric, as opposed to merely products with oxygen in them.
“We use actual oxygen,” she says. “It’s antibacterial and we infuse it, so it penetrates the skin. It fills, plumps and gives you a nice glow. It’s a more advanced facial.”
Kyymara says Esthetics813 uses top-of-the-line effective products like HydroPeptide, PCA SKIN and FUSION.
Always looking to offer the latest and the greatest, Kyymara says her spa will soon be offering a Blow Out Bar, to liven up your hair-do, which is expected to open by Nov. 1.
There are even treatments for men, including facials and upper and lower body waxing.
“We even have man-sized slippers and robes, so you can be comfortable and not feel like you are tip-toeing around in a woman’s space,” Kyymara says.
Kurt jokes that while men may be hesitant to try the spa, “Once you try it you won’t want to leave.”
Each service can be purchased individually, and Esthetics813 also offers VIP memberships. Groups and parties also are welcome.
Because the community has been so good to her, Kyymara does what she can to be good to it, too. She is an Ambassador for the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club and recently organized a fashion show that raised $1,600 for Bridging Freedom, a child and human trafficking rescue organization. She has even run a diaper drive for the Oasis Pregnancy Care Center.
Esthetics813 is located at 1051 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Its hours by appointment are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (813) 474-4486 or visit esthetics813.com.
Game Nights hosted by As We Grow Counseling have been an effective way of improving the social well-being of children and young adults with special needs. (Photos: Charmaine George)
For 14 years, the licensed therapists at As We Grow Counseling have helped people of all ages in Wesley Chapel and the surrounding areas tackle relationships and personal growth.
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Melissa Amaya started the practice in Seven Oaks in 2007, when her son, Ethan, was born. He has special needs and was often at therapy appointments five days a week, so starting her own practice gave her the flexibility to care for him.
Now that he’s older, Melissa has found another way to help him and others like him meet some of their unique challenges.
As We Grow Counseling is offering opportunities for kids and young adults, ages 4-21, with ADS, ADD/ADHD, learning disabilities and other unique needs to socialize and learn life and social skills.
“One of my son’s disabilities is autism,” says Melissa, “so I was trying to find a group to help him learn social skills, like how to start conversations with other kids and about unwritten social cues, and also life skills, like how to do laundry and go grocery shopping.”
When she couldn’t find such a program, she decided to tackle it herself, and began offering groups in June.
“I need to do what I enjoy and what comes from the heart,” Melissa explains. And she asks, “Who better to start these than someone who is a clinician and competent in this area, who also is a mom who has a child with special needs?”
Melissa earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from Monmouth University in New Jersey, and then her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree with a specialization in Family & Child Therapy from Fordham University in New York City in 1997.
When she first went to college, Melissa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and advertising. However, when she went to work in the pharmaceutical industry, she quickly realized she wanted to do work that was more meaningful to her.
She says As We Grow Counseling helps people in many ways throughout their lives. “You grow as a couple, as an adult, or even as a senior citizen, but you’re still growing and learning.”
As We Grow sees people of all ages for therapy, from kids as young as age three up to adults, including couples and individuals.
The practice currently has 20 clinicians who all work part time. Melissa says most are doing teletherapy, but some clinicians are beginning to return to in-person counseling sessions. They work during the day, in the evening, and on weekends, including both Saturdays and Sundays.
Groups & Special Events
While she believes that individual counseling can be effective for kids with special needs, she recognizes that they often already spend big chunks of their time at appointments such as physical, occupational and/or speech therapy, so she recognizes the benefits of the social and life skills groups.
“When we do the groups, they learn so much from their peers,” she says. “It’s a more comfortable setting for them.”
Groups are offered for children ages four to 19, broken down by age group, and kids with any disability can participate. There is one group just for girls, while other groups are mixed.
Jeanne Harrison (left) and Melissa Amaya
“It helps them with confidence building,” Melissa explains. “A lot of kids with special needs also have anxiety, which prevents them from fully interacting with their peers, getting a job, and even advocating for themselves at school — just to ask for help if they need it. These are skills they need everywhere in life.”
And then, to practice the skills they are learning in their groups, As We Grow Counseling now offers Game Nights and special “bonus” events.
Jeanne Harrison (left) and Melissa Amaya
These might be cooking classes, pottery painting or going to Pinot’s Palette or Main Event. A field trip to an Escape Room was held for October and an outing to Grand Prix Tampa for go-karts and miniature golf is planned for Saturday, November 13, and an outing to watch a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game is coming up on Tuesday, December 14.
While the special events require an advance RSVP, Game Nights do not. They are for ages 5-21 and include crafts, dancing, a movie, indoor badminton, corn hole, pizza and even visits from therapy dogs, when they are available.
Melissa heads up Game Nights with an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher, Jeanne Harrison, and the support of volunteers.
Upcoming Game Nights will be held Fridays, November 19, and December 3, at the Seven Oaks Community Clubhouse, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. The cost is $20 per child.
Parents are welcome to stay but can choose to drop their children off. Kids can come to all of the activities, or just the ones that interest them or fit their schedule.
The social skills groups have limited space and are generally paid by insurance. As We Grow Counseling takes all major insurance plans except Medicaid and also accepts the Gardiner Scholarship.
“There’s a huge need,” Melissa says. “The biggest hurdle I have is getting the word out to people.”
Shonda Brown is mom to Ahmari, an 11-year-old with high-functioning autism and ADHD. She recently noticed that he has struggled with some issues, such as feeling resentful of the differences he has noticed between himself and other kids.
“It’s a blessing to have found something in the midst of a storm,” says Shonda, who also has been a therapy patient of Melissa’s for several years.
Ahmari started middle school this year, which Shonda admits was a little scary, especially since she was exhausted from the daily phone calls she was getting last school year. But, her son’s involvement in the As We Grow programs has been beneficial.
“I just talked with his school counselor and she says he’s doing great,” Shonda says. “I haven’t gotten one call from a teacher, and he has six teachers now! He also has outstanding grades.”
She thinks some of the growth she’s seen is because, at Game Nights, he’s around both guys and girls of all different ages, and they are showing him maturity.
“He started off quiet and now he’s raising his hand and loves to sing and dance,” she says. “It allows him to be him in his own element without having to worry about any judgement.”
Shonda adds that she really appreciates the hour or two she gets to herself while Ahmari is at his skills group or Game Nights, whether she uses it to go grocery shopping or just sit in her car and enjoy the peace and quiet.
“It’s amazing,” Shonda says. “I hope Melissa can branch out to more parents. I don’t know where I’d be without (As We Grow Counseling) and without her.”
As We Grow Counseling is located in Seven Oaks at 2240 Twelve Oaks Way, Suite 101. To learn more about the opportunities for children with special needs, call Melissa on her cell phone at (813) 442-2971. To make an appointment, call (813) 838-4807. Or, to learn more about the practice, visit AsWeGrowCounseling.com.
Fire damage will keep Las Palmas closed until late spring, 2022.
One of the saddest pieces of business news we heard recently was that a 20-minute kitchen fire had closed Las Palmas Latin Grill, located in the same plaza as Five Guys Burgers & Fries and LA Fitness at County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Owner/chef Ramses Garcia says that although there is no definitive time line for Las Palmas to reopen, he estimates at least 5-7 months. At our press time, Ramses said that the cause of the Oct. 11 fire was not yet known and that he’s thankful that no one was injured.
In the meantime, there is some good news, as Ramses announced on his Facebook page he will soon be serving his popular Cuban sandwiches (and other dishes) from a food truck.
“I have some good news…I have purchased a food truck to hold us until the insurance company decides when are they going to release funds for the cleanup and rebuild,” Ramses wrote. “The plaza landlord has given me permission to place the truck in the parking lot of the restaurant for the time being.”
Ramses doesn’t have an exact date for the debut of the food truck, but said it is already registered with the DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation) and the Division of Hotel and Restaurants.
“I’ll keep you posted of updates as we get close to open,” Ramses wrote. “I’m really trying hard to have this done as quick as I can. I probably look at 15-20 trucks before I picked these one. The truck is in “the bag” and soon ready to serve those awesome Cubans we make for the best customers in my world… my Tampa peeps!”
One of his customers, Cynthia Havard, started a GoFundMe page to help Ramses rebuild, and if you want to help out, CLICK HERE.
Also at our press time, Las Palmas was either leading or in second place among our readers’ Favorite Latin Restaurant and in the top-10 for Favorite Restaurant of any kind in New Tampa, so obviously, a lot of people are unhappy that it has had to close, even if it’s just temporarily. — GN
